


a rose by any other name

by asiannoodles



Category: VICTON (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Cheating???, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, Misunderstandings, Romance, a lil bit frisky, byungchan likes flowers, comedy???, hanse is the mvp, seungwoo likes byungchan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:27:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25173124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asiannoodles/pseuds/asiannoodles
Summary: Byungchan absolutely loves flowers because of how romantic they are, and Byungchan absolutely loves romance. He thinks that maybe Seungwoo might be becoming the most romantic part of his life. Well, that is, until he isn't. (Or, is he?)Alternatively, Byungchan learns that, like flowers, Seungwoo is not who he appears to be. (Or... is he?!)
Relationships: Choi Byungchan/Han Seungwoo, Han Seungwoo & Jung Subin
Comments: 25
Kudos: 57
Collections: Lucky 7 Victon





	a rose by any other name

**Author's Note:**

> fun fact: i wrote 9.5k in a day.  
> "a day" as in ive been up for the last 24 hrs w no sleep and its unedited hahaha pls enjoy

Byungchan meets him on the day that his flower shop is carrying lavender roses. It’s unusually hot that day for supposedly being the beginning of spring. Winter had not been uncharacteristically cold, but it was still so strange being this hot.

He supposes he’s lucky though, because working in a flower shop meant that he didn’t have to suffer in the outdoor heat all day. He can still feel the warmth of sunshine on his back while surrounded by cool greenery and the constant veil of mist that keeps everything fresh. It pays off to be a florist sometimes, he thinks.

It especially pays off on hot days like today because there’s a little more foot traffic from people wanting to momentarily escape the heat. It’s the perfect time to introduce himself as the owner of his humble flower shop and smile at the red, heat-worn faces of the grateful passersby. Even when he doesn’t get them to buy any flowers for no special occasion, he’s always willing to give them a spritz from his mist bottle before they head on their merry way.

So when the glass door of his small shop jingles and he turns around to greet them, he expects to smile and advertise his flowers as usual and maybe give them a small little spray of mist; what he doesn’t expect is to find a tall handsome man, his skin fair and his dark hair dripping with sweat. His cheeks are red from the heat and his skin glistens as if he’s made of something other than the normal skin that Byungchan is made of. And when he notices Byungchan and smiles, it makes the lavender roses pale in comparison. 

“Hi,” he says after what feels like a second that lasts hours. “Sorry, it’s just so hot outside, I needed to cool off—I hope that’s alright.”

“Oh. Oh, yeah, it’s fine.” Byungchan manages to fight off the urge to gawk at him. “That’s fine! Welcome to Oasis Flowers. It’s not the first time that someone has come in here to get out of the sun.”

The man smiles again and Byungchan feels his entire heart stop in his chest. No one has ever walked in and dazzled him so much before. “I’ll bet. I thought maybe it was just funny that this place was named Oasis but it looks like it’s more of an oasis than I expected.”

“It’s more like a jungle,” Byungchan says with a light laugh as the man ventures further into the cluttered flower shop. The hanging terrariums and large, dark green leaves seem to frame him in such a way that it feels like he’s looking at a mirage. “I’ll never get enough space in here for more than two people to walk side by side.”

The man laughs and stops under a fan that’s spinning in the corner of the ceiling while also spraying down a light layer of mist. “That’s okay. A crowd of people would ruin the vibe of this place, anyways.”

“I guess so,” Byungchan laughs again. The shirt that the man is wearing is loose but still sticking to his skin at the same time. The way he leans his head back and moans at the relief of mist and fans makes Byungchan’s heart leap into his throat. “A crowd might be better for business though.”

The man turns around sharply, his eyes suddenly wide with a realization. “Oh—! Sorry, do I need to buy something to hang around? I probably can’t just stand here, can I?”

As the man begins walking towards him, Byungchan wipes his clammy hands on the front of his apron and says, “Oh, no, that’s not totally necessary. It’s fine if people just want to come in and feel some cool air.”

“Still, I wouldn’t feel right.”

The man is in front of him now and now that he’s right in front of Byungchan, he can see his face up close. There’s a kind sparkle in his eyes and his lips are full and pink against his porcelain skin. Warm, glittering sunlight pours in from the glass ceilings above them and it makes this nameless man in front of him look absolutely divine. He wonders if the man in front of him, sparkling with patches of sunlight and framed by big, tropical leaves and lavender roses, knows that he’s this attractive. Or maybe Byungchan’s air conditioning has stopped working and he’s hallucinating from the heat.

Byungchan is only acutely aware of how frozen he is until the man blinks at him and looks down at the name tag on the front of his apron. “So... Byungchan?” he asks.

Byungchan blinks hard once, twice, before he’s shaken out of his trance. “Byungchan— yes, that’s me.” He pulls the standard smile he normally greets his customers with back on to his face and replies, “Sorry, I think I... spaced out.” Like an idiot, he thinks.

“Well, Byungchan,” the man grins and chuckles at him. “Do you think you’d mind showing me around a bit? Your shop is filled with such fine plants and I _just_ remembered that I needed to buy a flower for somebody before I leave here.”

He can detect the slightest hint of playfulness coming from this man’s voice and Byungchan raises an eyebrow. “I already said that you don’t have to buy anything to take advantage of my state of the art cooling system.”

The split second of silence is enough for his old fans to creak almost as if they are ready to break any second. Byungchan almost snorts at the timing—it reminds him that he should probably trade in his old fans for a proper air conditioning unit.

“Well, let’s pretend it has nothing to do with that whatsoever,” the man says, shoving his hands into his pockets with a coy smile. “So what do you say, Byungchan. Show me around? If I really like some, I might ask for a bouquet.”

Byungchan only shakes his head with a smile at the man’s persistence and gestures for him to follow him. “A bouquet of a dozen flowers is fifteen dollars.”

“What about five flowers?”

“Well,” Byungchan replies as he leads him to an area full of display bouquets, “that’s less of a bouquet and more a bunch.” He looks over his shoulder and smiles. “And it would be seven dollars.”

“Can’t say no to a deal like that.” He smiles back at him. “What kind of flowers would you suggest?” 

Byungchan stops at the displays and smiles as he gestures towards the fresh flowers that they are carrying. “Well, we have a really lovely selection. Right now we have a lot of beautiful lavender roses as well as some hyacinths. The pink roses are also very popular.”

The man hums as he muses over the flowers in front of him. His long fingers are careful and delicate when he reaches to brush over some of the petals. There’s a thoughtful look in his eyes, as if his impulsive purchase was something very important after all.

“These are the popular ones?” he asks.

With a nod, Byungchan replies, “Yes.” He smiles. “Most of our customers really enjoy these selections.”

“Well,” the man begins, a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth, “which ones do you enjoy?”

The question is so casual and quick, it almost throws Byungchan off guard. “Hm?”

“Which flowers do you enjoy?” the man asks again. “Popular customer options aside.”

“Oh.” No one has ever asked Byungchan that before. He feels his cheeks warming up and he shakes his head to ignore it. “Well, I guess that depends on what you’re trying to say.”

“To say?”

“Yes,” Byungchan says, regaining his confident smile. “Flowers can mean all sorts of things. Of course, any flower can make a beautiful centerpiece but if you really know your flowers, you could say something too. So who are you trying to talk to?”

The way this handsome man stares at him makes Byungchan think that maybe he had come off as too weird. But there’s a light in the man’s eyes as he considers it and then he says, “Let’s say I’m trying to tell someone that they’re really cute. What kind of flowers would you suggest then?”

Byungchan grins and walks a little bit further to a smaller display of flowers that seems to be hidden among the larger arrangements. “Well, if that’s the case then my _favorite_ flower for that job would be these.” He gestures towards the fresh white flowers for the man to consider. “These are white camellias.”

The man nods as he looks the flowers over. The petals are so white and bright, they almost glow from the sunlight that pours in from the ceiling. They’re like a burst of beauty against their darker green leaves and the man notices that the way Byungchan stares at them is almost loving. He asks, “So what do they mean?”

There’s a fond look in Byungchan’s eyes as he says, “You’re adorable.” It’s silent for a few seconds before Byungchan’s smile falls and he’s sputtering out, “Wait— not as in, you’re adorable, like you, but the flowers just mean that whoever you give them to means you’re calling them adorable—!”

“That settles it then! I’ll take a bunch of five flowers, please.” The man smiles at Byungchan with a happy, close-lipped grin and Byungchan feels his cheeks cooling down.

“Oh— really?”

“Of course! If they’re your pick then I can’t be going wrong.” He smiles even wider and Byungchan thinks his cheeks might be heating up again. “Besides, they’re the prettiest flowers here.” 

Byungchan smiles softly as he pulls a pair of garden shears out of his apron and snips off the fullest flowers of the bunch. He leaves the stems long as he carries them over to his register area. The man follows him with such a bright smile, he can feel it radiating behind him.

“So,” he says to break the silence as he sets the flowers down, “who are you buying these flowers for?”

The man shrugs lightly. “Not sure, really. Although, I have an idea.”

“Really?” Byungchan raises an eyebrow as he begins to arrange the flowers together inside of a square of cellophane. He looks up at the man with a playful smile and says, “I thought you said you just remembered that you needed to buy a flower for somebody before you leave?”

“Huh? Oh—!” The man rubs the back of his neck with some embarrassment before continuing, “Well, I did have an idea then but after I talked to you maybe I changed my mind a little bit.”

 _Stop blushing,_ Byungchan scolds at himself. Clearing his throat, he asks, “What color would you like your wrapping?”

“Hm... what’s your favorite color?”

 _But I can’t stop blushing,_ Byungchan thinks in retaliation. “Black.”

“Black?”

“It’s a lovely backdrop for other colors.”

The man snickers softly and says, “True. Then I’ll take black.”

Byungchan is the one to snicker this time as he wraps a layer of black craft paper over the cellophane and looks at how the white camellias pop against it. Although maybe, it looks a little edgy for a romantic gesture. Well, what he assumes is a romantic gesture, anyway.

He doesn’t have the heart to mention white isn’t really a color he thinks of whenever he says that black is a lovely backdrop for other colors when the man is staring at him with such earnest intent. 

“Would you like to add a card for twenty cents?” Byungchan asks.

“Oh, sure! Will you write it out for me?” 

Byungchan chuckles as he pulls out a card from the stack he has under the edge of the table. “Sure,” he replies. _Why not,_ he thinks. “To?” 

The man says, “Leave that part blank.”

“Okay. And from?” Byungchan feels his chest begin to skip a little bit and he’s not sure why.

“From… Seungwoo.” 

“Seungwoo…“ Byungchan repeats as he writes it down. It’s nice to have a name to go with a face. 

Seungwoo watches him patiently as he finishes the final touches on the miniature bouquet and then pays for it with a grateful smile on his face. 

As he takes the flowers into his hands, Byungchan says, “Thank you for purchasing. I hope that whoever you’re gifting them to likes a bit of edge.” He stares pointedly at the black craft paper.

Seungwoo grins. “Me too.” He takes in a short breath and holds it in as his eyes sparkle. “I guess that’s my cue to leave now, since I’ve made such an excellent purchase from your shop.”

He turns to leave but before he can, Byungchan says, “Oh, before you go! Let me just give the flowers something so that they don’t dry out in that heat.” He unhooks the small mist bottle from the edge of his pants and spritzes some small clouds over the camellias as Seungwoo holds them out.

“You mind if I also get some of that so that I don’t dry out in the heat?” Seungwoo asks with a playfulness in his voice.

Byungchan holds back a small giggle as he sprays a cloud of mist over Seungwoo’s face as well and Seungwoo closes his eyes and revels in it as though it’s the first rain after a long drought.

“Thanks for letting me loiter around your store,” Seungwoo says after opening his eyes. “And for picking out such lovely flowers for me.”

“It’s my pleasure. Hope to see you around again!” It’s a customary line he says after every customer goes but for the first time, he thinks that he actually means it.

Seungwoo flashes yet another dazzling smile at him as he turns to go. “Maybe you will. Have a nice day, Byungchan.”

“You too, Seungwoo.” 

Byungchan isn’t willing to admit that he spends the better part of the rest of his day dreaming about Seungwoo’s smile and pretty eyes and the long, slender fingers that held the flowers that he had given him. It isn’t quite fair, he thinks, for someone to be so handsome and so attractive upon first impressions. It must have been much better than his first impression, at least. He can only hope that Seungwoo remembers any inkling of him by the time the day is over.

He shakes his thoughts away—why is he even concerned whether or not Seungwoo remembers him. He’s most likely a one time customer that Byungchan will never really see again. It was only because of the heat, he reminds himself. And Seungwoo had only bought the flowers to be polite for standing around in his store.

It makes Byungchan pout. He’s not worried about anyone seeing him because by the time that Seungwoo leaves, the heat is starting to let up and no one really comes in unless they are truly seeking flowers. So Byungchan just pouts to himself as he paces around his personal jungle, spritzing plants, arranging flowers and thinks about Seungwoo, the handsome customer. Seungwoo, the man with a million dollar smile. Seungwoo, a man that he will most likely never see again.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_“You only talked to him for ten minutes.”_

“It was a really nice ten minutes.” Byungchan hears a sigh over the phone. “I’m telling you, Hanse, it was the most electric ten minutes of my life.”

_“That’s rich, considering you stuck a fork into an electrical socket on a dare.”_

Byungchan frowns as he parks his car in the back of his small flower shop and turns off the ignition. “Very rich, considering you’re the one who gave me the fifty dollars afterwards.”

Hanse lets out an annoyed groan and Byungchan can imagine him rolling his eyes. _“We’re not going to argue about this again. Anyways, you messaged me about this Seungwoo guy last night and you’re still talking about him this morning.”_

“I _know.”_ Byungchan sighs sadly as he slouches onto his steering wheel. “I can’t stop thinking about him.”

_“Well, maybe you should, since you’re never going to see him again.”_

“Ouch,” Byungchan mutters.

_“It’s the truth! It was just a hot day and he came in and then what? Do you think he’s going to show up again today?”_

Byungchan pouts. “No.” He lets out a small huff. “He won’t.”

_“Yeah, that’s right. He won’t. So stop thinking about him already, it won’t do you any good.”_

“But…“ his head swoons a bit, “he was just so handsome.”

_“There’s plenty of handsome people in this world, Byung. For example—”_

“Please.”

_“—take me.”_

_“Please.”_

Hanse laughs at the increasing strain in Byungchan’s voice. Byungchan is absolutely sure that Hanse can see the way he’s rolling his eyes with the way he nearly chokes on his laughter. 

“Okay well, I need to open up the shop now!” Byungchan sings in an exasperated voice and dryly adds, “Thank you for your support.” 

_“Any time,”_ Hanse replies with a click of his tongue and probably a finger gun if Byungchan is imagining it correctly. _“Message me if you get any signs about that Seungwoo guy.”_

“You just said I’d probably never see him again.”

 _“Yeah,_ probably. _I’ll bet that you_ won’t.”

“Really,” Byungchan replies as he exits and locks his car. “How much?”

_“Ten.”_

“Only ten?” 

_“Why are you complaining, betting on never means you’ll never pay me because never doesn’t end.”_

Sounds like you’re betting that I will see him again.”

_“Oh my go— Okay, fifty. You’re going to owe me fifty dollars.”_

“Once I never see him again, right?”

_“Right.”_

Byungchan snorts and pulls his store keys out of his pocket with a jingle that he finds comforting. “Alright, well, I really have to go now. Thanks for listening to me.”

_“Like I said, any time. Talk to you later!”_

With a smile, Byungchan hung up and shoved his phone into the back pocket of his pants. It was nice to have a friend like Hanse, a friend who could tell it to him straight. He’s a good balance to the dreamy romantic inside of Byungchan’s heart. (Hanse would say that he’s probably too romantic for his own good. He could probably give you a list of the amount of times Byungchan had broken his own heart from falling for someone he had never spoken to.) 

Considering that Hanse was usually right every time he predicted Byungchan would be heartbroken, Byungchan decides that he’s also probably right about never seeing Seungwoo again. He figures that it’s best to let the idea of Seungwoo go before he hurts himself again from dreaming too much. The only problem is that his resolve lasts for about two seconds before he sees a small bouquet of dry, white camellias with petals that were wilting at the edges wrapped in a piece of black craft paper sitting in front of the glass door to his flower shop. 

It couldn’t be, he thinks.

His heart stops in his throat as he squats down to retrieve it. It could just be a coincidence. But he turns it over and sees the undeniable greeting card that is attached and his entire stomach flips over as he reads the words:

_From, Seungwoo._

Hanse is about to owe him fifty dollars.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Hanse isn’t happy to hear that he owes Byungchan fifty dollars, but he’s quite happy to learn that he might be wrong and that maybe this Seungwoo guy has some interest in Byungchan after all. Byungchan feels like maybe the flowers in his shop today are smelling a little sweeter than normal because he feels absolutely intoxicated. 

There’s no way Seungwoo couldn’t know what he was doing when those flowers found their way back to Byungchan. Not after Byungchan had explicitly told him that white camellias had meant _you’re adorable._

Byungchan gasps as his hands come flying up to his cheeks. _So that means Seungwoo thinks he’s adorable?_ He blinks rapidly as he stares at the white clovers that sit in a small planter next to his old cash register. Maybe it’s too good of a thought to be true. He shouldn’t fall back into bad habits, he tells himself. He doesn’t make the mistake of falling too fast anymore. (At least, that’s what he tells himself.)

“You’ve got dirt on your cheek.” 

Another gasp comes out of Byungchan this time, except sharper and he reaches into his apron pocket for his scissors as he whips around. Maybe the fact that Seungwoo is standing there when he turns around is supposed to be reassuring but it only makes the pulse in his body race ten times faster and he’s hoping the dirt on his cheek is covering the inevitable blush that rises onto his cheeks. 

“Seungwoo…?” Byungchan mutters. He didn’t even remember hearing anyone entering his store.

Seungwoo smiles and exclaims, “Hey, you remember my name! I’m glad. I was afraid you wouldn’t remember.”

Seungwoo’s demeanor is so relaxed that Byungchan feels eased almost immediately. “It’s easy to remember good customers,” he says and he thinks he can see Seungwoo’s eyes light up. “What brings you back here?”

“Oh, you know. It’s hot out. And your store is just _so_ cool.” 

Byungchan raises an eyebrow and smiles. “I don’t think it’s nearly as hot as yesterday though.”

Putting his hands up in a playful surrender, Seungwoo says, “Okay, you got me. I came back for the flowers.”

“The flowers?”

“Yeah, the flowers. Maybe something else too.” Seungwoo shrugs. “But mostly the flowers. You did such a wonderful job and you know, I’ve seemed to have accidentally lost the camellias you gave me yesterday so I had to come back and buy some more flowers.” 

“Really,” Byungchan muses as Seungwoo joins him by his side. They stroll together through the maze that is Byungchan’s flower shop. “You lost those camellias I worked so hard to arrange for you?” 

Seungwoo rubs the nape of his neck in embarrassment as he narrowly avoids getting hit in the face with a floating planter. “Okay, not lost, just… misplaced.”

“How sad—the person you got them for won’t be able to see them.”

“Well, hopefully, they found their way to them.” With the way Seungwoo smiles, Byungchan thinks that he might not be talking about the flowers.

He clears his throat and continues with, “I hope you like the flowers we have in today then.” 

They keep walking and Seungwoo glances around with interest. “Does your stock change every day?”

“Not everything,” Byungchan says, acutely aware of how close they’re actually standing. “I try to make sure there’s new picks in the store every day though. And we also sell a lot of house plants so it’s not always just flowers.” 

“Is it your own place?” 

When Byungchan looks over, he’s a little surprised to see Seungwoo looking at him in earnest, like he’s really interested in what Byungchan has to say. “Yeah,” he replies. “I just loved flowers and plants so I saved up to get my own place to arrange and sell them. And this place is a little rickety but the ceiling is glass so I had to take it.”

Seungwoo looks up to the glass panes held together with steel framework and whistles. “That’s real nice,” he agrees. 

With a nod, Byungchan says, “It makes the whole place feel like a greenhouse. Or, you know—”

“An oasis?” Seungwoo guesses. 

Byungchan grins and chuckles. “Yeah. Even though the sun is shining down on us all the time, all the plants and fans have such a cooling effect, this place feels a bit like an escape. Or an oasis. That’s also why I put a waterfall wall behind the register table.” Explaining his store like this, Byungchan feels so proud that he doesn’t see that Seungwoo is staring at him. 

“It sounds like this place makes you really happy.”

“It really does,” Byungchan says, a little dreamily. “My own oasis.” 

Seungwoo looks away with a grin that he tries to hide and says, “Well, if I were wandering a desert, I’d be really happy to stumble upon this oasis. You’d be a vision in the heat. Especially with a waterfall behind you, I think I’d run straight to you.” 

Byungchan waits for Seungwoo to say anything after that, to see if he’s about to take back what he says with an embarrassed flush but he doesn’t. Instead, he just keeps smiling as he looks around at all the plants and when he meets Byungchan’s eyes, he doesn’t look away. His gaze is strong enough for Byungchan to feel the need to break away though, and he does with heat creeping to the tips of his ears.

“Oh, these are nice!” Seungwoo says, fingers the petals of a lavender rose. “Very pretty. And lavender is so in season right now.” 

Byungchan stifles a snicker as he stops before the flowers and asks, “Do you want to purchase a small bouquet of these, this time?” 

“Depends. What do they mean?” 

“Love at first sight,” Byungchan replies, his entire body feeling warm now. 

Seungwoo looks momentarily stunned but when he looks back to the flower, his eyes are full of tenderness and his fingers are even gentler as he strokes the purple petals. “Wow,” he whispers. “A flower can mean that much?” 

“Yeah,” Byungchan hums. “They can. I love that about flowers. They’re very romantic.” But he shrugs and then adds, “But it’s only romantic if the sender is aware of the meaning. Otherwise, it’s just a pretty flower for a loved one or a centerpiece.”

Seungwoo is staring at him again but this time Seungwoo looks away quickly when Byungchan notices. “So,” he begins, “if someone gave you flowers knowing the meaning, what would you do?” 

Byungchan laughs as he sprays a nearby plant with his mist bottle. “Maybe I’d marry them on the spot. Anyone who knows flower talk could ask me to marry them and I’d say yes.” 

“Hm,” Seungwoo hums in thought. “Maybe I’ll take a small bunch of lavender roses then.” 

“Of course.” Byungchan takes his shears out and snips off the prettiest ones without asking anything. It’s silent between them but Byungchan is sure that there’s some sort of palpable tension or feeling in the air between them. And he thinks that maybe, out of all the romantic endeavors in his life, this may absolutely be the most romantic one. 

It can’t all be a coincidence that Seungwoo is back again and choosing the flowers that mean love at first sight. Byungchan may be romantic to a fault but if even Hanse thinks that this Seungwoo man might have interest in him, then that’s almost enough to convince Byungchan that maybe there _is_ a spark.

And as Byungchan trims the stems and takes his sweet time arranging them, Seungwoo asks him about what the flowers around them mean. Byungchan is so happy to answer his question, his stomach feels like it’s suspended in his body. The daffodils meant rebirth. Freesia was passion and joy. The lilacs represented tranquility and passion. Byungchan thinks that this flower meaning trivia can’t be all that interesting for Seungwoo, but whenever he glances up, he finds Seungwoo staring at him earnestly with the most honest light in his eyes. Every time he looks at a flower and points to it, he doesn’t waste a second before looking right back at Byungchan’s face and listening patiently for his answer.

Seungwoo’s bunch of lavender roses have been arranged and wrapped for almost fifteen minutes, sitting idly on the table that stood in between the two of them as Seungwoo continued to ask questions about flowers and their meanings. Byungchan doesn’t think that there’s ever been anybody who has shown this much interest in flower language.

(It’s not the flowers Seungwoo was interested in.)

It’s maybe another few minutes before Seungwoo runs out of flowers to point to and all he can do is just stare at Byungchan for answers even though he hasn’t asked any questions. Byungchan catches himself unable to hide his smile as the sounds of his rickety fans seem to grow louder every second.

“You know,” Seungwoo says after a few moments, looking down and scraping the toe of his shoe against the floor, “you make flowers sound so interesting. I mean, not like they usually aren’t but... the way you talk about flowers is nice.”

“Have you always had an interest in flowers?” Byungchan asks as he mindlessly adjusts the wrapping paper around the lavender roses. It’s black, again.

Seungwoo looks up to grin at him. “Not until recently,” he admits.

Byungchan tells himself that it’s not supposed to mean much, but Seungwoo’s answer feels so full of meaning that Byungchan is sure that he would be spending his night mulling over it for who knows how long.

“I guess... I guess I should get going.” Seungwoo takes the flowers into his hands and brings them up to his face to smell them. Or maybe he’s thinking. But when he opens his eyes, he suddenly says, “Actually, could I purchase one more thing?”

Byungchan blinks in surprise but he nods and just lets Seungwoo lead him to a familiar place in the store.

“I just want one white camellia,” he says. Byungchan wonders if he’s joking but Seungwoo’s eyes are filled with sincerity.

As Byungchan brings out his shears to snip off a camellia, he says, “You know what... you’ve been a really valuable customer the last two days so you can take it.” He hands Seungwoo the white camellia and smiles. “It’s on the house.”

“Oh—? Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

Seungwoo takes the camellia into his long fingers and starts smiling even wider. “Then consider this my thank you.”

And Byungchan isn’t sure what he’s expecting but he really doesn’t expect Seungwoo to be handing the camellia back to him. He’s sure his face is filled with confusion as he takes it back and blinks a couple of times. “You don’t want it?”

“I did!” Seungwoo reassures with a smile. “But it’s because I wanted to give it to you.”

“Me?” Byungchan asks in bewilderment. He stares at the camellia. Then with a growing smile, he looks back to Seungwoo and asks, “Do you remember what white camellias mean?”

Seungwoo doesn’t blink and says, “You’re adorable.”

Byungchan waits again, waits for Seungwoo to sputter over his words and try to deny that he was calling Byungchan adorable or that it hadn’t been meant for him but Seungwoo just keeps smiling at him and this time, Byungchan finds it hard to break the eye contact.

He grins and brings the camellia up to hide his smile. “Thanks,” he says softly. 

A breathy chuckle leaves Seungwoo’s mouth as he says, “Okay. I suppose I’ll go for real now.” He looks down at his feet again and Byungchan thinks it’s cute. “Thank you again, Byungchan. I’ll try not to lose these flowers this time.”

As he goes, Byungchan calls out, “By the way, Seungwoo?”

“Yes?” Seungwoo turns around with a brilliant smile and Byungchan’s heart just about stops in his chest.

“If you want to give the flowers to someone tomorrow,” he begins with a teasing smile, “you should probably keep them in water.” He giggles at the way Seungwoo’s eyes brighten knowingly. “That way the petals won’t be wilted when you give them.”

It’s quiet for a brief, warm moment and Seungwoo laughs. “Got it. I’ll make sure of that this time.”

Seungwoo leaves with a proud smile and a warm glance back at Byungchan over his shoulder, Byungchan thinks that his store of flowers smells even sweeter than before.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Despite Byungchan’s nearly unintelligible gibberish of excitement and squeaky giggles, even Hanse is impressed when he hears about the interactions. No matter which way he looks at it, there’s no way it’s a coincidence that Seungwoo would come in twice for flowers and indirectly call Byungchan adorable twice. Byungchan knows he can get too attached to small things that he sees as romantic but even Hanse thinks that they are romantic gestures. The thought alone makes Byungchan giddy and he wonders when he’ll see Seungwoo again.

He sees him quite often, actually. Seungwoo comes in once, sometimes twice in a week just to ask what the new flowers that pop up in his store mean and to buy another arrangement that he sees fit. Suddenly, seeing Seungwoo in his store quickly becomes what excites Byungchan the most and any other customer that walks in might say that the florist of Oasis Flowers seems as though he’s walking on clouds all the time. 

It’s amazing how easily they can talk about things. Seungwoo always has questions for him and it makes Byungchan feel so special, especially when Seungwoo asks about his passions.

_“What are your favorite events to cater for?”_

_“Weddings.”_

_“Weddings?”_

_“Yeah, I love the romance in the air and I love being able to give the bride and groom their own Garden of Eden for their receptions.”_

He remembers Seungwoo laughing at him and then staring at him like he’s thinking.

And today again, Byungchan feels as though he’s floating. There’s never been anyone in his life who was able to, or wanted to, match wits with him when it came to flowers. Seungwoo always has questions and always buys certain flowers after hearing what they meant and it speaks volumes to Byungchan. 

The last time Seungwoo was here he had taken a business card, saying he would pass it around with his colleagues and for some reason that alone still excites Byungchan. Maybe Seungwoo is talking about him with others. Maybe there are people in Seungwoo’s life who have heard of Byungchan. Or maybe he’ll take in friends to meet him. The more days go on, the more it excites Byungchan to no end.

_“When is he going to ask you out though?” Hanse had asked him._

_“Whenever the time is right.”_

Hanse had sighed over the phone, calling Byungchan too much of a romantic again and if he wanted things to move realistically, they would need to take their budding romance outside of his flower shop. Byungchan had hardly been listening though, his head full of images of Seungwoo’s latest smile. 

It’s amazing, really, how it takes about five seconds for all of that to come crashing down. 

It’s when Byungchan is placing an aloe plant onto the shelf, admiring the orange flower sprouting out of it that he hears the jingle of his entrance opening. The time of day is familiar and when he turns around he knows exactly who it’s going to be. And it is. It’s Seungwoo. Except Seungwoo has his arm around someone else.

Seungwoo grins as he sees him, waving and calling out, “Byungchan!”

Byungchan swallows and pulls a smile back onto his face and tries to make sense of the boy that Seungwoo has his arm around. Maybe he’s just a friend. 

But that thought goes out the window when he hears Seungwoo say, “Come here, baby, I want you to meet Byungchan.” 

_Baby?_

The lump in Byungchan’s throat is back again as Seungwoo comes up to him with that familiar brilliant smile, although today, Byungchan can’t seem to keep looking at it. “Byungchan! This is Subin!” 

_Subin._

Subin is pretty. He’s a little shorter than the two of them and he has sharp eyes that seem to catch everything. His lips are pretty, like Seungwoo’s. And when Byungchan looks over at Seungwoo, Seungwoo looks so extraordinarily happy to be holding Subin close by the neck that he can’t find it in himself to say anything. 

He supposes that it hurts but he can’t dwell on it too much. He can’t expect that he is the only boy that Seungwoo is speaking to these past few weeks. If Subin is who Seungwoo has decided to love then there’s nothing Byungchan can do. 

Subin gives him a small close lipped smile and asks, “Seungwoo says you do weddings, so I was thinking of having you be our florist.”

Byungchan blinks.

Yes, he does weddings.

_Weddings._

_Weddings?!_

His eyes positively dry out as he looks back and forth between Seungwoo and Subin. He forces himself to blink and his voice cracks as he says, “Yes, I love doing weddings. When would this wedding be?” 

Seungwoo speaks this time, saying, “November ninth.” He looks proud to say it.

And that’s when it all clicks. Subin isn’t a recent boyfriend that Seungwoo picked up. He’s his _fiance. Fiance._ Byungchan blinks again.

_Oh my god, he’s been flirting with an engaged man._

The first thought he has is how Hanse is going to roast him. He can already hear his sadistic laughter echoing in the distance. The second thought is that _no wonder_ Seungwoo doesn’t ask him out, he’s been _engaged_ this whole time. 

Subin is the first to break the silence, smiling as he says, “I hope it’s alright if we ask you to be our florist. I’ve been really picky with flowers but Seungwoo says you’re amazing and you actually care about what flowers mean.”

Byungchan blinks again and looks at Seungwoo. He stares at his bright smile (it’s starting to look a little silly now) and it dawns on him that he’s misunderstood everything. Seungwoo isn’t curious about flower language to talk to him, he’s curious because he’s trying to figure out what flowers to get for his wedding.

“Of course,” Byungchan responds with a tight smile. 

His thoughts are only confirmed when he starts prattling off some rates about wedding flowers and types of arrangements he can provide while leading them to a section of his store where those arrangements are displayed. The whole time time, Seungwoo has his arm tight around Subin’s shoulder and when Byungchan steps away for a moment to get a picture album full of examples, he comes back to see Seungwoo with both of his arms around Subin’s waist, his chin tucked onto Subin’s shoulder as he smiles and sways back and forth. Subin occasionally turns his head to whisper something into Seungwoo’s ear and it makes Seungwoo blush and stare at his shoes the same way he did when he would talk to Byungchan sometimes. Something about that makes his entire body feel like it’s been turned upside down, like the gravity inside of him has been turned off. 

He can’t help but steal glances at Seungwoo even when he’s showing pictures of the normal bridal arrangements he does but Seungwoo looks so content nestled on Subin’s shoulder that Byungchan can only sigh. It seems that maybe his old habits die hard. Maybe his old flaws are coming back to haunt him.

“These are absolutely beautiful,” Subin gushes. He looks up at Byungchan with a genuine grin and Byungchan thinks he looks adorable. “You’re so talented!” 

“Oh, thank you.” Byungchan smiles back and feels his heart sink a little bit. It was just his luck that Seungwoo was engaged to someone so bright and pretty. 

“What did I say, baby?” Seungwoo sings. He steals a glance at Byungchan and winks. “Byungchan is the best florist around.”

Byungchan blinks, hard. Why did he wink—

“They’re all so beautiful, I think I might have a hard time choosing what flowers I want…“ Subin murmurs. He turns to Byungchan. “What do you recommend? Seungwoo says you have amazing taste.” 

“He does?” 

That’s still sweet, Byungchan thinks. With a resigned sigh, he smiles and begins to leaf through the options that he likes to offer for weddings for Subin while trying to ignore Seungwoo’s gaze on his face. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_“What? How is that possible?”_

“I told you, I just misread everything.” Hugging his pillow to his chest, Byungchan sighs. 

Hanse hums out loud, his phone on speaker next to him, and says, _“But how could you be misreading it when he was clearly coming on to you? I mean the flowers? Asking you about the meanings of them? For days? It wasn’t like it was one time, Byung, it was days.”_

Byungchan flops over into his sheets and hugs his pillow even tighter. “I know but… I think I really just misread it, Hanse. I mean, I think he was just getting to know me because he was considering me as his wedding florist.” He sighs. “And I _love_ doing weddings.” 

_“Okay, but wouldn’t he say that from the start?”_

“I don’t know. It’s not like he has to.” 

Hanse scoffs. _“Well, it was very misleading of him. I bet his fiance isn’t as cute as you are.”_

Byungchan lets out a strangled cry. “But his fiance is _super_ cute.”

Hanse only makes a sympathetic sound as consolation and Byungchan wants to melt into his bed. _“What are you going to do then, Byung?”_

“What else? I’m going to be their florist.” 

_“You know if it makes you uncomfortable being around Seungwoo you can always decline. Say that you can no longer cater their wedding because of conflicts.”_

“I can’t just lie to Seungwoo, he looks so happy that I’m going to be a part of their wedding. I can’t… I couldn’t bear it if I let him down.”

 _“Why?”_ Hanse scoffs. _“He doesn’t like you that way, Byungchan.”_

 _Ouch._ “Even so,” Byungchan mutters. “Even if he’s not part of my life in a… romantic way, I still think we’ve become good friends these past weeks. And what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t do the flowers for his wedding?”

Hanse is quiet for a few moments. Byungchan thinks that he probably knows the real reason why Byungchan will continue to cater flowers for Seungwoo’s wedding. It’s because underneath the surface, he still has very real feelings for him. 

_“Byung,”_ he says slowly, _“don’t hurt yourself.”_

“I won’t,” Byungchan promises, his voice weak. 

They talk for a few more minutes before Byungchan hangs up, and he tries to keep his mind blank so he can fall asleep, but he can’t stop thinking about how Seungwoo must have given Subin the romance of his lifetime. If Seungwoo treated Subin at all like how he would treat Byungchan during their intimate moments in the flower shop, then Subin must have had that and much, much more. And he knows that part of him, buried somewhere inside his soul, wishes that it could have been him.

He forces the thought away because he can’t be thinking like that. No, he can’t think of someone else’s fiance as though he has feelings for them, no matter how much he does. If it were Hanse, he would say that Byungchan is just bitter because he wants to be in a relationship. And because Hanse is Hanse, he’s probably right. Byungchan squeezes his eyes shut and says to himself, yes, that’s right. He’s just jealous because he wishes he wants to go on cute dates and romantic strolls.

(And he doesn’t admit it, but maybe it’s also because he wishes he could do that all with Seungwoo, too.)

  
  
  
  
  
  


Those kinds of thoughts seem to plague his brain as of late, especially when Seungwoo and Subin keep coming back into the store together, arm in arm, sometimes hand in hand. A pit always forms inside of Byungchan’s stomach but he pushes them aside for the sake of what he says is customer service. Hanse keeps trying to tell him that it isn’t that at all but Byungchan assures him that he’s fine. 

Besides, Subin is very sweet. On a day where Oasis Flowers has gardenias in stock, he comes up to Byungchan with sparkling eyes despite his close lipped smile and asks Byungchan what his opinion is on what kind of flowers would look the best for their bright, soft colored wedding. 

“Oh, these are really pretty,” Subin says under his breath as they flip through a catalogue together. He points at an image of pink camellias. “What do these ones mean?” 

Byungchan gives a wistful smile. “Longing for you,” he says while automatically glancing at Seungwoo. He tears his gaze away quickly, making sure that Seungwoo hasn’t seen it. 

Subin hums in consideration as a smile lights up his face. “I think those would look great at the venue, don’t you?” 

“It will certainly make the whole place look very sweet,” Byungchan says with a nod. “But if you want something a little more romantic, red roses are very classic for saying I love you.” 

“Wow,” Subin breathes. He grins at Byungchan and it’s almost as if his teeth glitter. “I’m so glad I have you to discuss flowers with. Every other florist we’ve been to has been an absolute nightmare but I feel like you really care about me.” 

Byungchan swallows. Subin’s smile is so bright, he can imagine Subin smiling that exact same smile to Seungwoo. He can imagine the two of them holding hands at a beach boardwalk on a summer night, laughing and enjoying the rides and cheesy pop music that played. From all of the times they’ve interacted so far, all Byungchan can tell is that Subin is very sweet and he almost feels guilty for still constantly burying his feelings for Seungwoo. After all, Subin deserves Seungwoo. Why wouldn’t he? There’s no problem with Byungchan if Subin and Seungwoo are in love.

“You know, I think we could maybe use one of these options for flowers on your lapel,” Subing says pointedly to Seungwoo, who has been listening with an absent mind. “Which one do you think?” .

Seungwoo chuckles and he meets Byungchan’s eyes. Without blinking, he says, “The pink camellias. For longing.” 

Subin doesn’t even look up so he can’t tell that Byungchan can’t look away from Seungwoo’s gaze. Seungwoo smiles at him and winks before placing an arm around Subin again and going back to looking at flowers. When they leave, Seungwoo’s fingers touch Byungchan’s as he hands the catalogue back for a few seconds too long for someone who is engaged. 

Byungchan might have a problem with _that._

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


It’s a fluke, Byungchan thinks at first. He’s just overthinking it again. He’s just reading into every long stare and every accidental touch of the hands. But he also thinks that maybe it’s happening too often for an engaged man and his florist. He’s probably just misreading things again, he tells himself. After all, that’s how he fell head first into this mess in the first place. 

But real concern only pops up on the day when Seungwoo comes in, alone, and Byungchan is reminded of the times before he knew that Subin was part of the picture. He misses the brief time when Seungwoo would come in and say something that set Byungchan’s heart ablaze. 

“Hey.” Seungwoo’s grin was as big and dumb as ever. 

Byungchan finds himself smiling, though. “Hey,” he replies as he trims the stems of some red carnations. “Doing some shopping without Subin today?” 

Seungwoo laughs breathily and says, “Yeah, I guess so. I wanted to come and thank you, actually?”

“Thank me? For what?” 

“For agreeing to be the florist for the wedding.” Seungwoo rubs the back of his neck, a habit that Byungchan is familiar with seeing. 

“There’s no need to thank me,” Byungchan replies, smiling at the trimmed carnations in his hands as he places them into a vase as an accent to some yellow hyacinths already placed inside. “I’m a florist, it’s my job.”

“Even then, it feels like you’re a friend to us already. And Subin really, really likes you. That’s saying something, because he doesn’t warm up to people normally.” He snickers. “You wouldn’t believe how close he is to finding a new DJ because he doesn’t like the one he’s got now.” 

Byungchan smiles. He hesitates on something for a moment but he decides to say, “I really like him, you know. Subin. He’s really cute.”

Seungwoo smiles gratefully. “I think so too. I’m really glad you two like each other. I’m hoping that you can get close to him like you did with me. Although, preferably not _as_ close,” he says in a teasing voice.

“Oh—” Byungchan ignores the heat in his cheeks as he presses down the feelings in his chest. Stop reading into it, he tells himself. “Does Subin know you’re here right now?” 

“No, I didn’t mention it to him. Besides, I wanted to talk to you alone.” Seungwoo pouts and says, “I feel like it’s been forever since we’ve been alone. I miss it.” He reaches over to place his hand over Byungchan’s. “It’s been a while.”

Byungchan’s cheeks begin to color but he knows that it’s from shock. He pulls his hand away quickly, as if Subin might have been watching but he longs for nothing more than to keep Seungwoo’s hand on top of his. “Seungwoo, we shouldn’t be…“ He trails off and looks away, sure that Seungwoo is looking at him.

“Oh,” Seungwoo murmurs, as he pulls his hand back to his body sheepishly. “Right, we’re in your store.”

“Yeah,” Byungchan mutters in agreement, although he’s not sure what his store has to do with anything. 

But Seungwoo seems unaffected as his cheeks pull up into that familiar, bright smile of his and he says, “Actually you know what, that brings up a good point. I was thinking about how much time I spend in your store and I’m just so grateful to you for everything you’ve done for me and Subin so I wanted to take you out somewhere. Like, as a thank you.”

“Wait.” Knitting his eyebrows, Byungchan blinks and his pulse speeds up. “What?” He shakes his head. “You want to what?” 

“I want to take you out,” Seungwoo repeats expectantly. “I mean I know you run this whole place by yourself but there must be at least one day where you would have time for me after you close shop. We can go to this garden themed restaurant uptown, I hear the flowers in there are stunning.” 

Byungchan has always wanted to go there. He can feel his resolve to suppress his feelings for Seungwoo waver as he says, “You really don’t need to do that Seungwoo, I’m just your florist.”

Seungwoo frowns and looks down at his feet. In any other case (for example, him not being engaged) he would look quite cute for how shy he looks. He says, “But you’re more than just a florist to me, Byungchan. With all the wedding planning stress that I’m going through with Subin, talking to you here feels like an escape. Like an oasis, remember?”

He laughs and Byungchan does his best to laugh too, but he’s afraid that the look on his face right now is half horrified at what could come next. “I… remember,” he says quietly.

“And remember how I said I’d run straight to you?” Byungchan does remember. In fact, he thinks about it almost every other night. Seungwoo is clueless to that fact as he continues, “I still would.” 

“Seungwoo, you—”

“What I’m trying to say,” Seungwoo interrupts brusquely, “is that you’re really special to me, Byungchan. You’re this calm that I can always go to in the midst of my crazy life right now. Just being able to talk to you is like my own form of stress relief. And to be able to just talk to you without Subin here.” He leans forward a little bit. “It makes me feel a type of way.” 

Byungchan bristles in his spot as he rubs his wrists nervously and looks away. “Seungwoo… you’re very sweet. And I also love talking to you, but—” 

“Then let me take you out! You don’t need to worry about anything, I’ll pay for it all; it’ll just be you and me on the town.” 

“Wait. Without Subin?” Byungchan asks in mild shock.

It’s Seungwoo’s turn to flush this time, a pretty shade of red coloring his cheeks as he says, “Yeah, that’s what I was hoping, actually. Just us. It would be nice to get some alone time outside of your shop.” 

Byungchan takes a step back and shakes his head. “Seungwoo, no, I— what would Subin say?” 

“It’s not Subin’s business?” Seungwoo’s eyebrow raises as if Byungchan is asking the preposterous. “And if Subin gets mad then that’s not my problem.” 

_“Oh.”_ Byungchan swallows. He thinks he’s beginning to understand what’s going on here. “But, shouldn’t you be focusing on the wedding?”

“The wedding is months away, there’s plenty of time before then.” Seungwoo leans in a little more and he reaches over to take Byungchan’s hand into his own. “Time that I could spend with _you._ What do you say? We can go after you close shop on Friday.”

Every cell in Byungchan’s screams at him to decline, to tell Seungwoo that it would be completely inappropriate for them to go behind Subin’s back like that. But instead, all he can manage to say is, “But? But what if Subin finds out?”

“Who _cares_ about what Subin thinks.” 

_“Seungwoo.”_

“And why do _you_ care what Subin thinks? I’m asking _you_ out.” 

Byungchan can’t think. He can’t even fathom what Seungwoo is saying right now. His ability to form real sentences seems to escape him and he can only revert to talking about flowers. “Subin… he’s a rose, you know? Subin is a perfect, red rose that you picked, so you shouldn’t go around sniffing other roses that are not the red rose you picked. You know?” Byungchan isn’t even sure of what he’s saying anymore. 

Seungwoo raises an eyebrow but a confident smirk pulls itself to the corner of his lips. “A rose? Well, in that case, a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” 

The way he stares at Byungchan is so intense that Byungchan can’t look away even if he tries. He can’t even speak anymore, he’s so stunned. 

“I’ll text you my address. Consider it a date,” Seungwoo says with conviction and a confident nod. He places a soft kiss on the hand that he’s been holding and leaves his number on the table before he gives him one more large smile and leaves Byungchan speechless as ever.

Byungchan is frozen for maybe ten minutes after Seungwoo is gone, blinking at the scrap of paper with numbers on the work table in elation and horror. He’s daydreamed of going on dates with Seungwoo before but not like this. He pulls out his phone and frantically types out a very important message to Hanse.

_bro help i think im a side hoe_

_YOU’RE A WHAT_

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_“He didn’t.”_

“He did.” 

_“Bro.”_

“I _know.”_ Byungchan palms his face miserably. “Call me a mistress.” 

_“Dude, this is the wildest thing that’s ever happened. He asked you out?!”_

“Yeah. For Friday.”

_“That’s tomorrow.”_

“I know,” Byungchan grits out, “believe me!”

_“So Seungwoo was flirting with you this whole time. Except, behind his fiance’s back.”_

“He called me his form of stress relief. _Stress relief,_ Hanse. Tell me that I’m _not_ his side hoe.”

_“I’m so sorry, I wish I could, but I can’t.”_

Byungchan lets out a noise of distress. “I’ve gotten myself involved in an affair.” 

_“It could be worse, right? Subin could’ve not known you existed.”_

“But that does make it worse! Subin and I _do_ know each other to an extent! And I like him enough to not want to ruin his _engagement!”_ It’s absolutely miserable, he thinks. 

“I mean… you declined that date, right?”

Byungchan straightens up suddenly and turns bright red. _“Oh… um…_ see, that part—”

_“Byungchan, you can’t! He’ll be cheating on Subin! With you!”_

“I didn’t say yes! I just didn’t say _no,_ either…“ And he knows that part of that is because he didn’t want to say no. He knows that a good part of him wants to go on this date and maybe imagine that Seungwoo is his for a night. He shakes his head and before Hanse can start yelling at him, he says, “I’m going to set it straight though. I’ll tell Seungwoo I don’t want to be with him and then that will be the end of it. Our relationship stays as a florist and regular customer.” 

Hanse is quiet over the phone. _“Right,”_ he mutters after a few seconds.

Hanse seems to believe in Byungchan about as much as Byungchan does. But Byungchan’s mind is made up. He’ll tell Seungwoo exactly what he feels and cut it off there.

It’s a much easier plan inside of his head, but once Friday rolls around and Seungwoo is sitting in the passenger seat next to him as he drives, it’s much harder to think of anything to say to Seungwoo at all. All of his previous thoughts fly out the window as they park and Seungwoo holds his hand to escort him into the lovely garden restaurant that he had been talking about. 

Golden planters line the walls and wisteria hang down from the ceiling. It frames Seungwoo in beautiful shades of purple and Byungchan is taken back to when he first met him, on the day that his store had lavender roses in them. He remembers what he felt then, remembers that all he could feel was an increasing affection for Seungwoo every time he came into his store with eyes that were full of questions about every flower that Byungchan had in his store.

And against his better judgement, Byungchan allows for himself to forget what he was going to say. He allows himself to indulge in Seungwoo as if Seungwoo is single, as if this is just one date that was going to precede many more. The more he falls into conversation with Seungwoo over dinner, the more he forgets what he was going to tell Seungwoo in the first place. The more he falls into conversation with Seungwoo, the more he falls and falls and the feelings that he had been suppressing down all this time come resurfacing back up again.

Seungwoo is wonderful. He’s funny and sweet and he makes conversation so easy. Every once in a while, Seungwoo will give Byungchan a compliment, whether it’s about his clear eyes or his pretty lips or his cute dimples, it doesn’t matter because Byungchan’s heart absolutely soars each time. Their senses of humor match up well, considering the way they share laughter over any joke the other can tell. They bump knees under the table and Seungwoo mentions something about it’s nice to be out with someone who shares a similar leg length and Byungchan thinks he’s absolutely ridiculous. So much so, that his poorly contained laughter gains the attention from a nearby table.

Seungwoo is so free with his words, so confident in giving compliments or saying funny jokes, Byungchan really quite likes that about him. He likes so much about him, in fact, that soon, Byungchan forgets what he was going to tell him at all. 

Even after they share funny stories over dinner and after Byungchan has driven Seungwoo back to his house, the two of them are just standing by the hood of his car, unwilling to let the conversations end. Byungchan doesn’t remember the last time he’s felt a connection like this with someone.

And Seungwoo seems to echo his sentiments later when he says, “I really liked the time we had tonight.”

Byungchan leans back onto the hood of his car and stares at the pavement, unable to keep the smile off of his face. “Yeah,” he replies with a breathy laugh. “I did too.”

“And… you know“ Seungwoo is suddenly standing in front of him, closer than he’s ever been before and his hand is on Byungchan’s arm “I really like you too.” His voice softens as he searches Byungchan’s eyes. “But I feel like you know that.”

Byungchan can’t look away. “Maybe…“ he murmurs as Seungwoo comes in closer. 

“What about you?” Seungwoo asks, his lips only mere centimeters away from Byungchan’s. His eyes are already half closed and his breath is warm as it gently fans across Byungchan’s cheeks. “Do you think…? That you might also like me?” 

His eyelashes fluttering, his hands coming up to rest on Seungwoo’s shoulders, Byungchan’s eyes aren’t even completely closed before Seungwoo presses his lips against his and brings his arms to loop tightly around his waist. As Byungchan wraps his arms around Seungwoo’s neck, he wonders when the last time someone has kissed him breathless like this. 

Seungwoo’s lips are hot against his own and neither of them seem to have any sense of mind for the fact that they’re still currently outside with only the darkness of the night as their cover. Byungchan moans something senseless onto Seungwoo’s mouth, and he can feel Seungwoo’s tongue touching his own. His breath hitches when Seungwoo moves his hands down to Byungchan’s thighs and lifts him up to set him down onto the hood of his car. He wraps his legs around Seungwoo’s torso and he feels hot and heavy in Seungwoo’s arms. Seungwoo’s hands begin to wander on his body, his palms searing hot even through the clothing.

 _“Fuck,”_ Seungwoo whispers out, pressing kisses to the side of Byungchan’s lips. “You really are so beautiful.” He lets out another soft string of curses as he presses his fingers into the soft skin at Byungchan’s waist. “I’m so glad I met you.” 

Byungchan hums in ecstasy, gasping out as Seungwoo starts sucking at his neck. 

“My place is right here,” Seungwoo mutters after leaving a mark on Byungchan’s neck. He licks it and blows on it, smiling at the way a shiver runs up Byungchan’s spine. “We should probably take this inside, unless,” he smiles against Byungchan’s neck, tracing his jaw with his nose as he lets out a teasing chuckle, “you want me to stop?” 

And then suddenly in that moment, Subin’s face pops into Byungchan’s mind. He imagines the hurt that would fill Subin’s eyes if Byungchan goes inside Seungwoo’s home and does the irreversible. He knows that it will damage their relationship and ruin their engagement, even if Seungwoo was the one who initiated it, Byungchan could never live with that on his conscience. 

So despite knowing that Seungwoo made him feel like a million dollars and despite knowing that there was nothing on the planet that could make him feel the way he did this night ever again, Byungchan places his hand on Seungwoo’s chest and says:

“Stop.” 

Seungwoo’s hands freeze and he’s quiet for a second before he’s pulling away slowly, confusion radiating from his eyes as he looks up at Byungchan, as if he didn’t hear him correctly. “Stop?” he repeats, his voice barely there. 

_“Stop,”_ Byungchan whispers and nods. He keeps his eyes down so that he doesn’t look into Seungwoo’s eyes.

 _“...Oh,”_ is all Seungwoo can say.

Byungchan sits like that for a moment before he removes Seungwoo’s arms from around his body and stammers out, “We shouldn’t be doing this, Seungwoo. You know we shouldn’t. It’s… It’s not right.” He hops off the hood of his car and pushes Seungwoo away gently. “I should go,” he says under his breath. “I have to be up early to open the store tomorrow.” 

“Right…“ Seungwoo murmurs, his eyes unfocused.

Byungchan can’t bear to look at him anymore. He’s a cheater, he reminds himself as he hurriedly shuffles to his front seat and starts his car. He doesn’t spare another glance in Seungwoo’s direction as he drives off to Hanse’s apartment, where he apologizes for intruding and then lets out all of his pent up guilt and frustration. He tells him how Subin’s face popped into his mind at the point where he could have made a huge mistake and how even though what he was doing was so wrong, it felt so right and Hanse talks him through it all.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Working in the store the next day feels hellish—Byungchan feels as though he hasn’t gotten a wink of sleep and that’s partially true, since he and Hanse had stayed up until ungodly hours talking. Luckily for him, there’s not much business so most of the day passes by uneventfully as he saunters around, surrounded by white chrysanthemums. It feels like a funeral, he thinks. 

Fifteen minutes before closing, when the golden rays of dusk are filtering in through the glass ceiling, Byungchan hears the doors open and he can hear his name being called out. When he turns around, Subin is there, smiling at him. 

He swallows. Last night he had made the decision that no matter how lovely he thinks Subin and Seungwoo are as a couple, Subin deserves to know that Seungwoo has been coming on to him. And even more, Subin deserves to know that they kissed. He only knows Subin briefly but even he knows that he deserves at least that much. And then afterwards, Byungchan swears to only speak to Seungwoo professionally. Hanse had agreed with him and encouraged him, telling him that it would be the only way to make things right because at the end of the day, Seungwoo is a cheater and it’s up to Subin to decide what he will do.

With a shaky breath, Byungchan begins to make his way towards Subin when suddenly another man is coming in through the door and nothing about that would have been strange except for the fact that he takes Subin’s hand and immediately plants a kiss on his lips. Byungchan freezes.

_Huh?_

Subin grips his hand and smiles up at him, the same smile that normally glitters when he’s looking up at Seungwoo. Except now he’s looking at a man who’s a bit shorter and has cropped black hair and dimples even more prominent than Byungchan’s. 

“You’re right, this place is gorgeous.” The man looks around the shop with sparkling eyes and when he lands on Byungchan he smiles and gives him a small wave. His eye-smile is pleasant and friendly. 

Byungchan waves back weakly as Subin nods excitedly. “Isn’t it? And this is Byungchan, like I’ve told you.” 

The man nods in his direction and says, “It’s great to meet you.” Maybe he’s just a friend... 

“You too…?” Byungchan isn’t sure what he’s looking at.

The man places his hand on Subin’s waist and Subin says, “We’re going to look around really quick before you close!” 

Byungchan blinks. “Um, yeah, of course. Go ahead.” 

As they walk to a different corner of the store, Byungchan can’t even begin to think at what he’s looking at. He makes his way around the store as discreetly as possible, misting multiple flowers as he secretly follows Subin close enough to hear what he’s saying. He knows he shouldn’t be eavesdropping but he feels as though this might be somewhat important to see.

Subin is practically melded into the other man’s side, their free hands constantly holding each other and Subin’s head constantly resting on the man’s shoulder when he’s not turning to kiss him. There’s no way this man is just a friend. 

“This is the place Seungwoo found?” the man asks softly, his thumb kneading into Subin’s side as they stroll around. 

“Yeah. I really like this place, it’s a gem. I’m so lucky Seungwoo found it.”

“Where is he right now?” 

“He’s at home. Said he wasn’t feeling well or something. He had a rough night, apparently.”

Byungchan winces and tries to imagine that maybe he’s not the reason for that. 

“How has he been lately, by the way?” the man asks and Subin responds with a soft whine.

“He’s fine but I just need to get away from him sometimes. He makes this planning thing easier and yet more stressful, I don’t understand how he does it.” 

The man brings Subin’s hand up to his lips and kisses it tenderly. “Wish we could see each other more often.”

“Me too.” Subin sounds sad. “The wedding is getting closer and closer every day. There’s only so much time before we—”

“Shh, it’s okay, I know you’re nervous.” The man smiles and brings Subin into his arms with a warm hug. He kisses his forehead and then says, “Let’s get you a flower, maybe. So you can remember me, right?” 

“You’re so cheesy,” Subin snickers.

Byungchan gasps and ducks behind a shelf that carries rows of potted ferns. Oh my god, he thinks. They’re _both_ cheating on _each other?!_ What kind of weird love shape had he gotten himself a part of?! 

He holds his breath and thinks about telling Hanse immediately but then he thinks about Seungwoo. What if Seungwoo didn’t know? He would feel equally hurt as Subin would if Subin knew that Seungwoo was cheating on him with Byungchan. Or maybe Subin _already knows._

Byungchan isn’t sure what the truth is but he knows that right now, he can’t confront Subin when there’s a strange man holding him and kissing him every other second. He composes himself for the last few minutes that the store is open and trims the stems of a red chrysanthemum that the man buys for Subin. Subin’s face is sparkling when the man hands the mum back to Subin with eyes filled with the deepest affection Byungchan has ever seen.

He’s not sure what comes over him but after he closes the store, he finds himself driving straight to Seungwoo’s house, where he had left him alone last night. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“Byungchan?” Seungwoo looks shocked when he opens the door and Byungchan is standing there, a look of urgency and stress across his face. “What are you doing here?” 

Byungchan rubs his wrist nervously as he looks around. “Hey, uh… can I? Come in?” 

Seungwoo is in nothing but a ratty t-shirt and his flannel Snoopy pants but he still steps aside to let Byungchan in. Byungchan has never been in Seungwoo’s home before (and until recent events, he didn’t want to). The place is neater than he expected—simpler. There are strawberry jars on almost every surface, filled with flowers that Seungwoo has bought through all of his past visits to Byungchan’s store. There’s no much decoration but the entire place feels light and airy. Maybe under different circumstances, Byungchan would have asked him to show him around. 

“Do you want, uh, water or something?” Seungwoo asks, rubbing his neck. He looks anywhere that isn’t Byungchan. “I don’t really have much else to offer.”

“Oh, no, that’s fine.” Things are so awkward, it feels strange compared to how in sync they had been the previous night. Byungchan stays standing in the middle of the room as Seungwoo leans against his kitchen counter. “I wanted to come by and tell you something. Important.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, but…“ Byungchan breathes deeply. “You’re not going to like it.” 

Seungwoo frowns, it almost looks as though he’s pouting. “Oh. So… you _don’t_ like me?” 

Byungchan blinks. “Huh?” 

“I mean, I knew it was a bit of a long shot,” Seungwoo murmurs, his ears turning red as he keeps glancing in many directions. “I just… I don’t know, I thought we were feeling something mutual here. I’m really sorry if I made you uncomfortable last night, though. I didn’t want to make you feel that way.” 

Heat rises back up into Byungchan’s face as he remembers the previous night and he has to bite his lip so as to not accidentally confess that there _is_ something between them, it would just be better to not develop the feelings. But he remembers what he had seen just an hour prior and his forehead creases as he says, “No, this isn’t about that. It’s something else.” 

“Oh?” Seungwoo looks confused.

“Look, Seungwoo… I…“ Byungchan takes in a deep breath. “I don’t know how you’re going to take this but I feel like you should know that I saw Subin…“ He licks his lips and stares at the Snoopys printed all over Seungwoo’s pants. “I saw Subin kissing someone in the store earlier today.” 

He doesn’t look up, afraid that he’s going to see some sort of anger, pain, or devastation in Seungwoo’s eyes. But what he doesn’t expect is just to hear Seungwoo casually say:

“Ew.” 

When Byungchan does look up, Seungwoo only looks mildly uncomfortable, as if he had confessed seeing something like Subin peeing in a bush. He feels his eyebrows knit further down his forehead as he says, “What? That’s _it?_ Just ew?” 

Seungwoo shrugs. “I mean, that’s kind of gross. Kissing in a public place.” 

There’s a pause as Byungchan takes a second to just stare at Seungwoo in disbelief. Closing his eyes and pressing a finger to his temple, he says, “I’m sorry, I’m confused—why are you not more bothered about this? I feel like I’m more bothered than you are.” 

“I mean Sejun and Subin are always kind of gross like that,” Seungwoo says, “but I wasn’t _there,_ so… I mean I’m sure it’s shocking for you, since you’re seeing it for the first time but since I’m used to it it’s less gross, I guess.” He looks up to think. “Still pretty gross though.”

“Wait, _what—_ who—?” 

“They’re always like that, so I know what you’re talking about.” 

Byungchan thought that maybe his brain was drying out the more they spoke. Seungwoo… _knew?_ This whole time he _knew_ that Subin was having a side affair with another man? Was that why he has had no problems flirting with Byungchan?

“What is this, an open relationship?” Byungchan asks.

Seungwoo shoots him a concerned look and says, “Well, Subin and I are pretty open about everything, so I guess you could call it that.” 

“No,” Byungchan cuts in. Absolutely nothing about this feels right and he feels like he needs to give Seungwoo a piece of his mind after feeling like he was on an emotional rollercoaster for the past weeks. “No, no, no—you are going to be married, the sanctity of—”

“Wait a second.” Seungwoo interrupts this time, his forehead looking creased as he finally looks Byungchan in the eyes. “I’m about to be what?” 

“...Married?” Byungchan repeats, as though it’s obvious. He wonders if Seungwoo made it a habit of playing mind games like this.

 _“Married?_ To _who?”_

“Subin.” 

Seungwoo’s staring at Byungchan like he’s got three ears on one side of his head. He closes his eyes and shakes his head, stammering out, _“Wait,_ wait, wait, hold on, hold on, hold on—I am _not_ marrying Subin!” 

_He’s not?_ Byungchan blinks. “...You’re not?” 

“I would _never.”_ Crossing his arms, Seungwoo moves to stand directly in front of Byungchan and he asks, “Now what could _possibly_ give you that idea?” 

Byungchan feels like he’s in trouble. His entire face must be red as a tomato now, his neck and his ears included. What _did_ give him that idea? He rubs his wrist a little harder now as he starts recounting his timeline of events to Seungwoo, how he remembers the way Seungwoo clung onto him, the way they would look at each other and the way Seungwoo would fondly call him baby, as though they had been dating for years. 

Seungwoo listens to him without blinking and after Byungchan is done, runs a hand through his hair and Byungchan ignores how attractive he makes it look.

“So let me get this straight,” he says, his voice low, “you thought _Subin_ and _I_ were getting married?” 

“Yes.” Byungchan nods. 

At any moment now, he thinks, Seungwoo is going to start explaining in exactly which ways Byungchan is false in that low voice of his as he gives a soft chuckle and a sympathetic smirk. He’ll tell him how often he and Subin are mistaken for a couple. But instead, Seungwoo’s face scrunches up into a grimace and his body lurches in such a visceral way that Byungchan thinks he’s going to puke instead.

 _“EW!”_ he screeches.

Byungchan’s jaw drops as his heart hammers in embarrassment. “Hey!” 

_“Ugh,_ how could you—?!” Seungwoo turns around and scrambles a bit in a circle, then looks back over his shoulder at Byungchan as he shrivels in disgust. _“Why—?!_ Why would you even _say_ that?!” 

“That’s what I _thought!”_ Byungchan defends with a frown.

“He’s like my little brother, my _god!”_

“You call him _baby!”_

“Um, yeah, that’s because he’s the youngest in our friend group! _The baby!”_

 _“Who_ calls their friend baby?!” 

_“Look at him,_ Byungchan, he’s a _fetus!”_ He reacts as though his body is rejecting the very concept of being engaged to Subin and Byungchan almost feels embarrassed for the both of them. 

Byungchan crosses his arms and huffs a little bit. “Well. He is very baby faced. Very cute.”

Seungwoo, who’s taken to sitting on his sofa in distress, nods sarcastically and says, “Great, I’m glad you think so.” He massages his forehead, letting out a deep sigh before saying, “Look. That guy you probably saw Subin kiss? That’s Sejun. _He_ is Subin’s fiance. Not me.” 

It’s quiet between them until Byungchan quietly murmurs, “That’s good to know.”

He doesn’t think he’s been more embarrassed in his entire life. He clears his throat and sits down adjacent to Seungwoo, on a worn down armchair that sits on the corner side of a coffee table. “So…“ he mutters, “if you’re… _not_ marrying Subin… then why did you bring him into my shop like that?”

Seungwoo gets quiet this time, his posture relaxing as he starts saying, “Well, he _was_ looking for a florist for his wedding. And… you know, well, we had gotten to know each other so well I thought that maybe referring Subin to your place was a cool way for you to meet some of my friends.” 

“Uh _huh.”_ Byungchan says, his voice dry. “And you didn’t think that you walking in with your arm around Subin while calling him baby was going to make me think you were a couple? That _you_ were his fiance?” 

The tips of Seungwoo’s ears turn red and he says, “Well… I guess I thought that we both knew we had something _mutual_ going on so… I _didn’t_ think you thought that, _at all._ But after last night, I guess I thought wrong.” 

“That’s not true.” 

“Hm?” 

Sighing, Byungchan says, “That’s not true. I… _also_ thought we had something mutual going on. I was really into you, too, but I made myself stop being interested after I thought you were, well, _engaged._ And then when you kept flirting with me and ended up kissing me I really thought that you were cheating on Subin with me and I felt like crap. That’s why I wanted to leave last night, because I had thought of Subin. If I had known...”

“Oh.” Seungwoo’s cheeks color in embarrassment. “I’m sorry about that. Subin and I are really close, but we’ve never been interested in each other. I would kiss his cheeks if he asked me to and feel no attraction towards him, that’s how close we are.”

“That’s… kind of weird.”

“Hey, I would kiss your cheeks too, if you asked me.” Seungwoo stops to think. “Although, with different intentions.”

Byungchan shrugs. He’ll consider that.

“You’re not a homewrecker, though, I promise.”

He snorts. “Thanks.” 

_“You_ thought about Subin when we were making out, though, now _that’s_ weird.” 

They both laugh for a moment and all the tension that had been between them for the past weeks dissipates into the air. The quiet between them is comfortable and it’s the kind of quiet that Byungchan had been longing for when he daydreamed of Seungwoo. 

“So…“ Seungwoo begins, “you _don’t_ don’t like me?” 

“Are you asking me if I like you?” 

“Yeah. Because, you know, I actually kind of made something for you,” Seungwoo says, and he stands up to find something, leaving Byungchan alone on the couch.

When he returns, he comes back with a hastily arranged bouquet of flowers wrapped inside black craft paper with rough edges that are held together with mismatched pieces of washi tape. 

“It’s not very well done,” he admits. “But after realizing I liked you I was buying flowers so that I could try to make you a bouquet myself. They’re not super pretty but I thought you might appreciate it since I would be giving it to you while knowing what the flowers meant.” 

Byungchan blinks in awe at the amateur arrangement and he takes it into his hands. He recognizes many of these flowers from when Seungwoo would come in and ask him about their meanings. There are lavender roses for _love at first sight,_ pink camellias to say _longing for you,_ white clovers to say _think of me_ and of course, an abundant amount of white camellias just to say _you’re adorable._

“I wanted to give it to you this morning, actually,” Seungwoo confesses, a bit sheepish, “because I thought you would spend the night. But you know that plan didn’t really work out and then I also thought that you didn’t like me.” He blushes and coughs. “But that’s not the case anymore, so…“ 

Byungchan blushes. Looking at the bouquet, it’s a bit lopsided, the flowers aren’t trimmed very well, and the colors don’t make the most desirable palette, but he can feel exactly what Seungwoo is trying to say through these flowers. His heart feels full and he finally feels like he’s flying again. Like somehow, this really was the romance he had been longing for.

He looks back over to Seungwoo, expectantly. “So…?” 

Seungwoo smiles and sits down on the ledge of the coffee table, stretching his legs out on either side of Byungchan. He places his hands on his thighs and says, “So, I was thinking that _maybe_ we could have another shot at this.” 

Byungchan stares fondly at the bouquet of flowers in his hand again and then laughs. Looking up at Seungwoo he says, “Do you remember that day I compared Subin to a rose?” He laces his fingers through Seungwoo’s. “And I said that you shouldn’t go around sniffing other roses?” 

The golden rays of light from the setting sun light up the side of Seungwoo’s face, his eyes seemingly on fire as he says, “Yeah.” 

“And,” Byungchan continues, bringing his arm with the bouquet around Seungwoo’s neck to hold him closer, “then you said that a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.”

Seungwoo grins. “Yeah.” 

“Did you mean me?” 

Byungchan’s smile is soft and sweet, his eyes glowing with endearment as Seungwoo reaches over and guides him by the waist to come sit on his lap, his smile full of warmth and affection, his voice getting low and intimate when he says, _“Yeah.”_

With a giggle and a satisfied hum, Byungchan tilts his head and whispers, “Then I think, _maybe,_ we can have another shot at this.”

And the only thought that goes through Byungchan’s head when he pulls Seungwoo in to kiss him, slow and soft, wet and warm, is how much fun it’s going to be seeing Hanse’s reaction to this new development of events. Seungwoo’s arm is tight around his waist as he thinks about all the ways Hanse’s face will look once he brings him to meet Seungwoo. But the more time they spend kissing each other in the dimming daylight, the more Byungchan melts and melts into the hold of the most romantic (albeit, the most unorthodox) man he’s ever met. 

A delighted laugh escapes his lips as Seungwoo lifts him up effortlessly, his arms strong and firm as he holds him up so well, Byungchan finds he doesn’t even need to keep his legs tight around Seungwoo’s torso.

“Now,” Seungwoo murmurs, “to make up for some lost time.” He smiles against Byungchan’s mouth. “Especially from last night.”

Byungchan grins into his kisses. Hanse will have to wait. 

**Author's Note:**

> _prompt: byungchan loves flowers. flowers are beautiful and have a language of their own, if one knows how to read them. he loves spending his days surrounded by them, in his own flower shop. he is also a hopeless romantic. which is why he's always happy to cater to weddings. he's thrilled when a new couple comes to his shop, especially when they take such an interest in his beloved flowers. there's only one problem: he may or may not be falling in love with the groom, seungwoo. he's thrown into a moral dilemma he doesn't know how to deal. what he doesn't know, neither, is that seungwoo is actually not the groom._
> 
> screams @ byungchan: u r valid but u r dumb  
> the same cannot be said abt seungwoo im srry  
> imsub r precious  
> imagine how much time would be saved if seungwoo just Didn't call subin baby  
> or better yet, if they two of them just Told each other how they felt  
> but shrugs hey u cant everything life
> 
> anyways :> haha i gotcha didnt i :D or well i got byungchan at least  
> this was a bit of a wild prompt but i got to play around with it and i had a lot of fun writing!  
> despite how dumb they are i am in fact very very soft for every single person in this fic ESPECIALLY hanse that man is the mvp the gr8est friend u could have an absolute win in my book
> 
> hope u all liked it!!!! leave me a comment down below if u did ; v ; <3333 see u at the author reveals! u v u
> 
> edit: hello there authors were revealed so if you'd like to interact w me anywhere, im @kkulseoki on twt :>>>   
> ty all again for reading !


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